The dark, reddish color immediately gives away the fact this malt was matured in sherry casks. For how long? If I didn’t know, I’d guess around 8+ years judging from the nose which features a good measure of Islay smoke, dried fruits, raisins, dried apricots, overripe pineapple – reminding me of a fruit salad infused with a few spices and some chocolate on top. Very complex and much to my liking. The palate reveals the relatively young age of the spirit, it doesn’t quite reach the high complexity of the nose. Still, a mouthwatering experience, honey sweetness, dark fruits, a tad on the dry side with herbal bitterness (which I don’t dislike) and an omnipresent smoky taste which generally tends to be very pronounced in younger malts, mellowing down with age. The finish is, again, delightfully smoky, initially very rich, fruity and drying down as time goes on.

Verdict:

Kilchoman is the little distillery which never ceases to amaze me. They do put some great juice out there at a very young age (imagine what it’ll taste in a few years time…). The 2013 bottling of Loch Gorm is no exception – a fresh, fruity, smoky, delicious dram. By now it is pretty much sold out, but I can recommend picking up a bottle if you like smoky, sherried Islay malts – and can manage to source one.

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